The Z87-A is presented in a large, attractive box which has been designed to clearly catch the eye. Essential features are covered on the front of the box along with the standards that are employed and the back goes into further detail about these features listing the technical spec. Inside, as you would expect the motherboard is covered in an anti-static bag for protection.
Packaging is eye-catching
Along with the motherboard, there are a number items included within the bundle less than you would find with a high-end motherboard here they are:
User's manual
Driver CD
I/O Shield
2 x SATA 6Gb/s cables
SLI Bridge (flexible)
Q-connectors
Z87-A occupies the mainstream and with its focus being on value the included items are kept to a minimum compared to something at the opposite end of the spectrum or even from the ROG series.
The included items that consist of the bundle
Casting our eyes on the Z87-A for the first time with a fresh new look for Z87, we have to say we are a little undecided on its styling. We understand that ASUS are wanting to diversify with this new gold theme but sadly the SATA/PCI-E/DIMM slots are all a different colour tone to the metallic parts and the only aspects which are indeed Gold are the heatsinks. Matching metal and plastic can be a difficult task but we can see the colour of this motherboard coming under fire especially when aesthetics are so important with enthusiasts and system builders nowadays.
The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that this motherboard isnt full ATX in its form factor, it is indeed thinner, with the dimensions: 30.5 cm x 22.35 cm. With these measurements the right hand edge and more particularly the 24-pin power and memory slots do not have support underneath so care must be taken when applying pressure in these areas.
An overview of Z87-A
